Warmth
by A. Zap
Summary: Weiss finds herself feeling cold. She's hoping that some hot chocolate will warm her up, but maybe what she really needs is something else. White Rose Week Day 4: Snuggles


**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. I'm just here for fun.**

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Warmth

Weiss was cold.

One would think that she would be used to the cold by now. As if Atlas wasn't enough with its climate ranging from cool to cold as the depths of Hell, the Schnee household was particularly frigid. In more ways than one.

Weiss shifted in her bed and tried rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Unfortunately, the movements didn't help at all and she was still cold. She sighed and turned towards the window, scowling at the crumbling moon.

There was no way she would be able to fall asleep like this.

As quiet as she could, so not to wake up her slumbering teammates, Weiss crept out of her bed and into the hallway. Once there, she padded down to their floor's communal kitchen. It was a bit late for coffee, but she hoped that maybe some hot chocolate would do the trick to warm her up.

As she started up the stove and got out the ingredients, Weiss could feel her mind began to wander. She looked out the window and rubbed her arms again, trying to fight against the chill she felt.

As such, she didn't notice the shadow coming up behind her.

"What are you doing, Weiss?" Ruby's sleepy voice jolted Weiss out of her thoughts.

She couldn't help the small shriek that escaped as she whirled around to face her leader. Ruby looked adorably sleep-tousled, her hair in a disarray as she rubbed her eyes.

"Ruby," Weiss clutched her chest as her heart calmed down, "what are you doing up?"

Ruby frowned at her a bit. "I could ask you the same." She walked over closer before she admitted, "I thought I heard you getting up and decided to check."

"Oh," Weiss turned back to the stove, automatically adding in some more milk to heat up. "Well, here I am."

"Hmmm." Ruby looked over her shoulder. She gasped, "Hot chocolate?" She tossed Weiss a hopeful look.

Weiss couldn't help the smile on her lips. "Don't worry; I'm making enough for you."

Ruby quietly squealed. "Weiss, you're the best!" She threw her arms around Weiss.

Weiss stiffened for a moment before melting into the touch. She was slowly getting used to Ruby's bursts of physical affection. Given how often it happened, Weiss had learned to accept it from Ruby at least; it was harder to receive it from Yang or Blake.

She was wholly unused to being touched like this. At home, affection was rarely given and even then it was usually restrained to a backhanded compliment of some sort. Even Winter, the one family member she was close to, didn't care in a way that most people would consider normal. It didn't make Weiss think any less as any attention from her sister was worth it and she knew that Winter cared in her own way.

But Ruby gave it quite freely.

And it was at that moment that Weiss realized how warm Ruby was. Her heat was like a beacon against her back and where her arms were wrapped around her, and it just seemed to spread from there. This was exactly the thing to combat she'd been seeking to combat the chill she felt.

But all things must end, and Ruby drew back, humming and bobbing in place in her excitement. She took that warmth with her. Weiss went back to her work and quickly finished up the hot chocolate, grabbing two mugs and serving them. She took her first sip as she handed Ruby her own mug.

Ruby's eyes glowed with happiness as she reached into the cupboard to pull out a bag of marshmallows and immediately covered the top of her hot chocolate with them all the way up to the brim of her mug. At her questioning look, Weiss politely turned them down. After all, hot chocolate was perfect by itself.

After quickly rinsing the supplies in the sink, the two of them settled on the couch to drink their hot chocolate. A comfortable silence fell in between the two, and Weiss was grateful for it. It was much too late for talking and just Ruby's presence made her feel at ease.

The mug in her hands was warm and as Weiss gently sipped at her hot chocolate, a warmth filled her as well, settling in her stomach. But despite her best efforts, she could still feel a chill in her bones that just wouldn't go away. And she couldn't help but be a bit disappointed at that.

As Weiss felt a shiver coming, she tried to suppress it like she'd been taught. She wasn't very successful though as she shuddered slightly, drawing Ruby's full attention once more.

"Are you okay, Weiss?" Ruby's brow furrowed, looking over her with more seriousness than before.

"I'm fine." Weiss didn't glance over at her and took another sip of her drink. However, she was already running low on hot chocolate and wouldn't be able to use it as an excuse much longer.

Ruby scooched just a bit closer, putting down her empty mug. "Weiss, are… are you cold?"

Weiss found herself holding an empty mug herself, but she didn't look up. "What? No."

Ruby tentatively reached out and rested her hand on her arm. She gasped a bit. "Jeez, you're freezing." She then rested her other hand on Weiss's forehead. "Are you coming down with something?"

Weiss brushed her hand off her head, despite how nice it felt. "I'm fine. Everyone in my family just feels a bit cooler than normal."

"Is this why you got out of bed?" Ruby pushed, getting that stubborn pout on her face.

"I just couldn't sleep." Weiss argued, stubborn herself. She just couldn't admit that she was cold. It would be a sign of weakness and though she was trying to get better with being open about these things, her family's teachings were still ringing in her ears.

A Schnee could never be weak.

Ruby stared at her for a moment longer, before she removed her hand from her arm. Weiss hadn't even realized her hand was still there, but now it was gone, the skin there felt even chillier. She didn't have time to ponder that thought as Ruby abruptly stood up and walked away.

Weiss huffed at her departure, bringing her legs up and curling up on the couch. She really should have expected it. She knew she was being difficult, but really, how else was she supposed to act? No one in her family ever showed such care.

The only person who had ever been so open about care and affection had been Klein. He was the one who had noticed her gazing longingly while the family was out and about, taking in children running up to their parents and getting hugs, kisses, and bright smiles. He was the one who would indulge her with silly faces, gentle advice, and the occasional hug when no one else was around.

Despite supposedly being nothing more than a servant, Klein had always made her wonder if that was what it'd be like to have a normal family. His secret hugs were brief warm spots in her memories, and she treasured each and every one.

Weiss startled yet again as a soft weight fell across her shoulders. She touched the blanket now around her shoulders and looked up as Ruby chuckled before settling next to her. Weiss shot her a quizzical look before Rose positively snuggled into her side and pulled the blanket around both of them.

Weiss blushed and stiffened. "What… what are you doing?"

Ruby beamed up at her. "You're cold; this is the best way to warm up!"

"I…" Weiss wanted to protest some more. After all, whatever happened to having some propriety? But…

Ruby's body was hot where it pressed against her, her arms coming up to wrap around Weiss's waist. In the smaller space beneath the blanket, their shared body heat was quickly warming things up further. Despite her objections, Weiss was already relaxing into Ruby just as much as she was with Weiss.

Plus, she knew that if she said anything else against it, she would be on the receiving end of Ruby's infamous puppy dog eyes.

Weiss closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine."

She ignored Ruby's quiet cheer and relished in the warmth surrounding her. It was nothing like she'd ever felt and it settled something in her that she hadn't even been aware of.

And as she slowly, finally drifted off to sleep, she pretended that the flush on her cheeks was just from the warmth and not from the presence of the girl beside her.

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 _AN: This is for Day 4 of White Rose Week: Snuggles. Though it does go a bit into some of Weiss's struggles that she faces as well. Ah, the good old Beacon days, before they had to seriously worry about being killed by megalomaniacs.  
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 _By the way, Yang was the one who found them snuggled up on the couch the next day and despite Blake's protests, she took plenty of pictures._


End file.
